Kiwi production a viable option: Experts

Ashok Raina

Kangra, July 3

Colonel (retd) Jai Singh (82), a resident of Pritam Nagar in Shahpur, had always nurtured the dream of making a beautiful botanical garden. After his retirement from the Army in 1990, he started working towards realising his dream.

Initially, he was confused about whether to go for apple, mango or litchi cultivation, but in 2018, with the guidance of the Horticulture Department, he planted 50 kiwi saplings on 4 kanals of land. Various subsidy schemes of the state government encouraged him to take the chance.

About Rs 4 lakh were spent on the cultivation of kiwi out of which ana amount of Rs 80,000 was reimbursed by the government as subsidy. With the support and guidance of Horticulture Department experts, within two years, the kiwi plants started bearing fruit. Today, his entire garden is laden with kiwi fruit.

Sanjeev Katoch, horticulture expert, said there were immense possibilities for growing kiwi in the Kangra valley. The cost of kiwi plantation on one hectare of land is Rs 7-8 lakh and half of it is covered as financial aid by the government. He said kiwi is one fruit to which wild animals and insects did not cause much harm.

Kiwi is rich in vitamin C and has sufficient amount of antioxidants. It is helpful in controlling cholesterol and containing high fever. The fruit fetches a good price in market, he said. The plant grows fully at the age of five. From the age of two, the plant starts giving fruit. When fully grown, one plant can give 1,000 to 1,200 fruit (approximately) annually.

The fruit currently is sold for Rs 20 to 30 per piece in the market. Experts advise farmers to cultivate kiwi in place of mango, litchi, lemon and orange.